American Film Institute Presents

TIDES

Trailer

The Story

Grace finds her life at a crossroads when Jericho Rhodes, a Navy SEAL, and her ex-boyfriend, wills his cryopreserved sperm to her following his death in Afghanistan. Recently married to Vaughn Collins, Grace is torn between her past and present lives. Confronted with the dilemma of a lifetime, she finds solace in the ocean, enabling her to decide what she wants the most.

Director's Statement

We always carry our history with us. Memories can be our most precious treasures or a burden that is overwhelmingly heavy to carry. Most of our memories are about other human beings. To our main character Grace, the most hidden and protected memories are about the greatest love and the greatest sorrow of her life - an ex-boyfriend and a Navy SEAL Jericho.

Our story takes place in present day wartime America, where Grace's life is affected by Jericho's unexpected death. She must now make choices concerning love, her career, and her desire for children. Life is full of choices, and we make decisions on a daily basis. Some decisions are small, others life-changing. Many times, big decisions need a lot of courage. I personally believe that since we only have one life, we should always live fully and honestly to ourselves and other people. We must have courage to follow our hearts and do what is right. This the ultimate battle, not some war in a distant country.

Risto Tuominen

Director

Los Angeles

The Filmmakers

Risto Tuominen Director / Writer

Risto Tuominen is a Finnish-born filmmaker who studies directing at the American Film Institute. Before relocating to Los Angeles he spent several years in Finland's film industry, working mostly as a production manager and an assistant director for more than 20 feature films and 50 commercial film productions. Risto has also served three years in the Finnish Defence Forces. In 2008, he took part in the peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan.

Dawn DeVoe Producer / Writer

Dawn DeVoe is an emerging filmmaker from New York City. Dawn graduated from St. Michael's College with a degree in Psychology, minoring in fine arts and traveling abroad to study cultural anthropology in Zimbabwe. Prior to receiving her MFA from the American Film Institute, Dawn worked at VH1 as a line producer on franchises such as MOB WIVES, I LOVE THE's, 100/40 GREATEST COUNTDOWNS and the 2007 Emmy winning "VH1Rock Doc" DMC: MY ADOPTION JOURNEY. In 2008, Dawn produced the short film HARDWOOD, which screened at the LA Shorts Fest and Cannes Short Film Corner before being acquired by Sony/Lionsgate. This was followed by TIDES her AFI thesis film, that premieres this October, which she wrote and produced and was the recipient of the AFI/Sloan Production Award.

Ed Wu Cinematographer

Ed Wu explores the world through the lens of his camera. An honorary Hoosier from Long Island, NY, Ed transplanted to Los Angeles in search of uncovering and learning the magic behind visual storytelling. Through his experiences as a cinematographer and wanderer of the world, he's seen the power of an image and constantly searches for the perfect frame to tell the story. Ed's body of work ranges from music videos, documentaries, narratives, and commercials for corporate clients such as Wal-Mart, Popular Mechanics, and New Era. His film SPARKS has received recognition at the Short Film Corner at Cannes International Film Festival and a Best Picture nomination at the CMF International Grand Finale. Additionally, his work on the feature film NATHAN AND THE LUTHIER earned an official acceptance into the Heartland Film Festival and YES Film Festival.

John Carner Editor

After receiving a BA in Political Science and German from the University of Virginia, John worked briefly on Capitol Hill before turning to a career in television news. As a producer and editor at Eurovision Americas, he travelled around the world to cover breaking stories including Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the earthquake in Haiti and the death of Michael Jackson. After five years in journalism, John used his experience in television to pursue his passion for film, attending first USC's Summer Film Program before enrolling in the American Film Institute's MFA editing program. John has worked as an editor on numerous shorts and promotional films as well as serving as the assistant editor on two features: 2011's COMMENCEMENT and 2013's CHRISTMAS BELLE.

Cast

Shawn Lockie GRACE COLLINS

Shawn Lockie grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from UCLA with a degree in Sociology. Ms. Lockie has acted in numerous commercials, video games, TV episodics, independent short and feature films as well as theater. Her most recent feature film, FARAH GOES BANG, won the Nora Ephron Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival 2013, and her next feature, OBJECTS is to be released this year.

Will Beinbrink VAUGHN COLLINS

Will Beinbrink, a graduate of the Julliard School, thoroughly enjoyed working with Risto Tuominen, Dawn DeVoe and the entire creative team of TIDES. Recent film and television credits include SIN CITY 2, THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY, AINT THEM BODIES SAINTS, JANE THE VIRGIN and NBC’s REVOLUTION.

Sean Brosnan JERICHO RHODES

Recent feature film credits include SURVEILLANCE 24/7, which played as an official selection of the Berlin Film Festival and A WEST TEXAS CHILDREN’S STORY, with Val Kilmer. This was followed by Sean’s role as Cpl. Daniel Redman in the HBO miniseries GENERATION KILL which the won 3 of the 11 Emmys for which it was nominated, including outstanding miniseries.

The Sloan Foundation

Team TIDES is proud to announce that they have been selected to receive one of the top awards for thesis films: The AFI/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Production Award. We are extremely grateful to AFI and The Sloan Foundation for their tremendous support. By awarding us this grant, AFI faculty and Sloan representatives have show its confidence in the project and the team. In an effort to promote the accurate depiction of science in film, every year the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grants this Production Award to AFI fellows for their work on films which address topics of science, scientists, or scientific method. In order to aid the fellows in the effort of portraying science accurately, each applicant works closely with a science mentor who will aid him or her in assuring that the science depicted in the film is as close to reality as possible.

About the AFI Conservatory

"Art is a nation's most precious heritage. For it is in our works of art that we reveal to ourselves, and to others, the inner vision which guides us as a nation, and where there is no vision, the people perish. We will create an american film institute, bringing together leading artists of the film industry, outstanding educators and young men and women who wish to pursue the 20th century art form as their life's work."

President Lyndon B. JohnsonSeptember 29, 1965

Consistently regarded as one of the top film schools in the world, the American Film Institute Conservatory has been training award-winning filmmakers since its establishment in 1969. As part of the American Film Institute's dedication to preserving and expanding America's film heritage, the Conservatory's Masters of Fine Arts program is highly selective and provides a unique hands-on approach that provides students an opportunity to produce more films than any other graduate film program. The two-year Master of Fine Arts program emphasizes narrative visual storytelling and personal expression and culminates with the collaboration of fellows from the six disciplines — Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting — on a thesis film produced in a professional-style environment.

AFI thesis films have garnered numerous prestigious awards, including several Oscar nominations, the Oscar for best narrative short, the Student Oscar, the Director's Guild of America Awards, several American Society of Cinematography Awards, and top honors from the American Cinema Editors.

Traditionally AFI thesis films are instrumental in launching its fellows' careers in film.

As students and independent filmmakers, we depend on the generosity of our relatives, friends, and other third party contributors to help our project become a reality. AFI has provided us with a $13,000 grant and our goal is $65,000. Your support of TIDES is an investment in our futures as filmmakers.

Donations may be tax deductible. As a non-profit educational institution, AFI holds a tax-exempt status. Donations toward the making of the film may be tax deductible under Section 170 of the US tax code. All contributions will receive a letter of acknowledgment from the American Film Institute that can be used for tax purposes.

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